The guard who opened the door saw Gary Li (actually Evan Yang in disguise) and said, "Young Master Li, hello."
"Alright. Be sure to keep watch carefully, don't let anyone else take advantage of the situation." Gary Li (actually Evan Yang in disguise) said in Gary's tone, then turned and left.
Because Gary Li's aura and appearance were so similar to the real one, no one suspected him for now.
Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) walked slowly through the manor. "There are three places where Victor Chu could be imprisoned. I'll start with the first one."
After entering the manor, Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) prepared to begin his search at the first location.
The first place was a house on the east side of the manor, used as a prison for ordinary captives, with guards stationed outside.
When Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) arrived, he saw a group of people walking back and forth, patrolling the area.
"Young Master Li, why are you here?" asked the captain leading the team.
Gary Li replied, "I just wanted to take a look, is that a problem?"
The captain was stunned. Normally, this spoiled young master only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun, but now he was actually taking an interest in work. For a moment, the captain couldn't quite adapt. "Uh..."
"Stop with the hesitation, let me go in and take a look," Gary Li said.
The captain nodded, brought Evan Yang along, and opened the door. The house was large, with many smaller rooms inside. According to the captain's introduction, these rooms held ordinary people who were still somewhat useful. There were no special arrangements, just guards outside.
After Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) went in and checked each room, he confirmed there was no sign of Victor Chu. He said, "Alright, nothing here. You all can get back to work."
With that, Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) left, leaving the captain and the guards inside exchanging confused looks.
"When did Young Master Li change his personality?" the captain wondered suspiciously.
The others were curious too, but there was nothing they could do. He was a young master, and even if he had no real power, he was still the lifeblood of the Li Family.
Having found nothing at the first location, Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) prepared to try the second. Unfortunately, although the second place held some strong cultivators, there was still no sign of Victor Chu.
"Looks like Victor Chu can only be at the third place," Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) muttered, planning to check the last location.
But halfway there, a man called out to Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise), "Cousin!"
"Cousin?" Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) was startled. He hadn't expected to run into so many people here. After a moment of surprise, he said, "Oh, what are you doing here?"
Patrick Li immediately said to Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise), "You brat, are you listening or not? If you don't obey, I'll cripple you and toss you aside right now." (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Patrick Li's threat.)
Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) gritted his teeth, snorted coldly, and said, "Fine, I'll go." Then he left angrily. (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Emotional tone.)
Watching Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) leave, Patrick Li said helplessly, "Don't blame him, he's always like this." (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Patrick Li's helplessness.)
"Understood. Within three days, you must hand him over to me," Miles Ming said. (Glossary: Miles Ming. Ultimatum.)
"What about Victor Chu?" Patrick Li asked. (Glossary: Victor Chu.)
"We'll spread the news until that kid walks right into our trap. I don't believe he would ignore his own father. That way, his master will naturally show up as well," Miles Ming said. (Glossary: Miles Ming. Trap setup.)
"Alright, I'll arrange for more people near Victor Chu," Patrick Li said. (Glossary: Victor Chu. Defensive preparations.)
"Go ahead. Elder Hubert Hu has already been secretly assisting you, so this time, no matter what, you must lure both that kid and Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) here," Miles Ming said. (Glossary: Elder Hubert Hu. Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li.)
"Understood," Patrick Li said. With that, he went down to prepare his men for inspection. (Glossary: Patrick Li. Action sequence.)
Although Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) left in anger, he caught some of their conversation and listened closely. (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Eavesdropping.)
Seeing Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) like this, Patrick Li had no choice but to calm down and said, "Just bear with it a bit longer. There are a lot of things happening right now. Once they're settled, you'll be free to leave."
"Dad, why did you call me here?" Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) asked after hearing Patrick Li's words.
Patrick Li remembered the reason he called Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) and said, "It's nothing much. Just reminding you not to go out, and also wanting you to join Shadow Soul Sect."
"Shadow Soul Sect? I don't want to," Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) quickly replied.
Patrick Li wasn't too willing either, but the Shadow Soul Sect wanted to use Gary Li as a hostage to better control the Li Family. That's why Patrick Li called Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) over.
Miles Ming snorted, and Patrick Li continued, "Listen to me, just join."
"Why do I have to join?" Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) protested, secretly wondering what Shadow Soul Sect was plotting.
"You don't need to know. Just do as you're told and join," said Patrick Li.
Miles Ming added, "If you don't join, then you'll die right now."
The atmosphere instantly became awkward. Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) also realized that, at least in terms of attitude, Shadow Soul Sect was much tougher than the Li Family.
Patrick Li immediately said to Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise), "You brat, are you listening or not? If you don't obey, I'll cripple you and toss you aside right now."
Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) gritted his teeth and finally snorted, "Fine, I'll go." He left angrily.
Watching Gary Li leave, Patrick Li said helplessly, "Don't blame him, he's always like this."
"Understood. Within three days, you must hand him over to me," Miles Ming said.
"What about Victor Chu?" Patrick Li asked.
"We'll spread the news until that kid walks right into our trap. I don't believe he would ignore his own father. That way, his master will naturally show up as well," Miles Ming said.
"Alright, I'll arrange for more people near Victor Chu," Patrick Li said.
"Go ahead. Elder Hubert Hu has been quietly assisting you, so this time you must lure both that kid and Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) here," Miles Ming said.
"Understood," Patrick Li said. After that, he went down to prepare for inspection.
Although Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) left angrily, he caught some of their conversation and listened closely.
'So that's how it is. No wonder,' Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) murmured to himself.
Knowing that Elder Hubert Hu was hiding in the shadows, Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) became even more cautious, not daring to expose himself. Otherwise, rescuing Victor Chu would be much more difficult.
Although Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) appeared to have left, he used his divine sense to follow Patrick Li, wanting to see where they were setting up defenses and to narrow down Victor Chu's location.
Patrick Li simply assumed the angry Gary Li had left, never suspecting he was being impersonated, since both the personality and appearance matched closely.
So he didn't pay any attention to Gary Li and instead went to a rear garden. The garden was full of rocks and formations. Patrick Li led his people in methodically, having them hide behind certain stones. Thanks to the formation, outsiders couldn't see what was happening inside.
After everything was arranged, Patrick Li left. Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) memorized the positions and the location of the rear garden.
"I'll check it out again when it's late at night," Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) thought. For now, he went to Gary Li's room, as Gary had told him.
When he entered Gary Li's room, he saw it was a complete mess, with all sorts of women's items scattered everywhere.
When he entered Gary Li's room, he saw it was a complete mess, with all sorts of women's items scattered everywhere.
"Strange, why does Gary Li's room have so much stuff?" Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) wondered to himself.
Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) was startled and quickly pulled up the blanket. From under the covers came a charming voice: "Young Master Li, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly so shy today?" (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Fox-Girl's seductive tone.)
Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) quickly regained his composure. He knew Gary's character, but hadn't expected to find such a woman hidden in the room. She was extremely alluring, with a perfect figure, and carried a strange aura—familiar yet foreign. (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Fox-Girl's demon aura.)
Just then, footsteps sounded at the door. Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) quickly made an excuse: "Someone's outside, stay quiet for now." (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Quick thinking.)
The alluring woman on the bed immediately quieted down. (Fox-Girl's obedience.)
Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) opened the door and found Patrick Li standing there. (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Patrick Li's arrival.)
"May I come in?" Patrick Li asked. (Patrick Li's directness.)
"Not right now, let's talk outside," Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) replied. (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Discretion.)
Patrick Li glanced at the room, as if he already knew what was going on. He didn't say anything further and simply walked out. The two of them walked along a side path. (Patrick Li's awareness. Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li.)
"That woman is my gift to you. If you obediently join Shadow Soul Sect this time, I'll give you another one," said Patrick Li. (Patrick Li's manipulation. Fox-Girl as a reward.)
Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) was shocked. He hadn't expected the woman to be arranged by Patrick Li, specifically for him. (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Surprise at Fox-Girl's origins.)
"I didn't expect Father to know about my preferences. But why do I have to join Shadow Soul Sect?" Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) asked. (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Questioning Patrick Li.)
"You should know our family's current relationship with Shadow Soul Sect. They want you as a way to bind the Li Family. That's why I agreed. But I'm not a fool—here's a bottle of medicine. When you get close to Elder Hubert Hu, find a chance to get him to take it. If you succeed, our Li Family can break free from Shadow Soul Sect's control," Patrick Li said. (Glossary: Shadow Soul Sect, Elder Hubert Hu. Patrick Li's cunning.)
Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) hadn't expected Patrick Li to say such things, nor that joining Shadow Soul Sect was part of his own scheme, not just pressure. (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Patrick Li's motives.)
"What are you spacing out for? If you succeed, I'll give you another woman, even more alluring than her," Patrick Li said. "Father, where did that woman come from? Why does she look like that?" Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) asked suspiciously. (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Fox-Girl's origins.)
"Oh, that's a rare fox-girl. I heard she's the offspring of a demon-fox from the Demon Realm and a cultivator from the Immortal Realm. She stayed in the Immortal Realm and became what people call a fox-girl. Not only are they skilled in seduction, but their beauty is outstanding. It took me a lot of effort to get her, so don't waste my gift," Patrick Li said with a laugh, then left. (Glossary: Fox-Girl, Demon Realm, Immortal Realm.)
Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) muttered, "No wonder she felt familiar. So she really does have some demon aura. Even if she's half human, she still carries a trace of demon energy." (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Internal monologue.)
Looking at the medicine in his hand, Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) put it away. For now, he had no intention of helping Patrick Li. Instead, he returned to the room, preparing to sneak out at night. (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Resolving not to help Patrick Li.)
As soon as he entered the room, the enchanting voice sounded again: "Young Master, you're finally back. I've been waiting so long for you." Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) sat down calmly and said, "Your seductive skills are truly impressive. I'm afraid if I get too close, I'll collapse on the bed and never get back up again." (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. Fox-Girl's seduction.)
Gary Li (Evan Yang in disguise) remained calm and said, "Your seductive arts are truly formidable. If I give in, I might never get up from this bed again." (Impersonation: Evan Yang as Gary Li. US-English phrasing.)